Redgrave D. Zelgadis
Redgrave D. Zelgadis (レッドグレブ D. ゼルガディス, Reddogurabu D. Zerugadisu), a man who has explored the , walked through its trenches and climbed its highest mountains. He is a , an explorer, and a traveler. He braves the unknown ever in search of new frontiers, driven by insatiable wanderlust. To others he offers these same freedoms, for he has authored maps, documents and treatises on all that he has seen, where he was been and where he is going. The fortune's he has made, have made him rich with wealth as grand as any King! And what has he done with such riches? He has turned his blade against tyrants, toppled monarchs and usurped entire kingdoms! He has become an avowed enemy of the , clashed against their , and sown chaos in the . Appearance Reputation is a lot like armor; it is the first thing on a person that is seen, and depending on its quality can reveal every weakness there is about the individual or show to the world an indestructible master of war. But like any style of dress each article of clothing tells only part of the story. Beneath crimson locks that hang as freely as his spirit, lie deep-set rust colored eyes on the face of a warrior. Chiseled by war his is a face one would call ruggedly handsome, the patchwork of scars that criss-cross his features do little to detract from his charisma, rather they give presence to it. His piercing gaze reflect the kind of warmth one might find in the depths of a scorching sun, or the ferocity of a beast on the hunt. A long ridged nose, high cheekbones and broad jaw-line speak of an aristocratic ancestry, perhaps the bastard of a ? Concealed by a bellowing black-red mantle that hangs heavy on his shoulders, that flutters in the wind, Zelgadis's movements are as carefully precise as they are light and silent like a predator stalking its prey. Hidden by loose but comfortable weather worn white robes is a rippling mass of tight sinewy muscle. Lithe and taut, his strength is deceptive, but speed and agility are his calling. His arms are wrapped in a similar fabric though between the folds hint of scars of ages past. Calloused hands linger over the hilt of a broadsword that hangs at his side bound by nothing more than a simple cord rope. A gold hexagonal pattern with twin protruding cross-guards beguile the weapons lethality and masterful make, for the blade is drenched in the blood of thousands. It is a weapon that has seen decades of battle, and if one didn't know any better, the overwhelming miasma of murderous intent that seems to accompany Zelgadis may very well be radiating from the blade instead. Only those who walk with death would wield such an instrument. Though he has made recent fame through his ability to forge Kings from beggars, there was a time when Zelgadis battle across the four oceans blue for the epithet of "Greatest Swordsman in the World". But as the world gutters towards cold entropy, so too does such fleeting and meaningless titles. Still, his reputation gives those who wish to contest his past glories a moment of pause. He is man not to be trifled with. If recent rumor has any credibility then he is associated with a rising undersea kingdom, run by nightmarish monsters. Zelgadis goes where he pleases and little is put in his path, and for good reason. Powerful enough to be a threat, but largely inactive in the grand scheme of things, the World Government and the reigning pirates simply accommodate whenever necessary. Personality Here is a man who was once a student of morality. He thought upon the state of good and justice and believed himself to be an exemplar of those pillars. For years he fought against tyranny, sheltered the weak, and rallied against pirates, and soldiers and monsters. Everywhere he went, he saved the people and they in their gratitude exalted him into legendary hero. In time he became strong and from that well of strength became powerful enough to face the enemies of all who cried out for peace. In the end he changed nothing. No matter how many he saved, they would inevitably be betrayed or destroyed by another. Torn by tragedy he pushed himself even further towards senseless heroism, brandishing steel once more. He battled his way through beasts, swordsman and even the heavens themselves, but to no avail. He would later realize in his naivety, that he had committed a grave sin. He had deprived the people of their right to contend. They were unto him babes, and in his folly allowed them to suckle on the teat of his protection, leaving them weak and feeble once free from his shadow. He who had lived his life as a Hero, had doomed the very people he had sworn to protect to unsavory death. Only through the fires of pain, can wisdom be forged. He learned this, and studied it until its lessons burned in his very soul. Gone was the hero who believed in justice, no more was he a protector to all. History Synopsis *'Hearts of Stone' --- In progress *'Sword Zen' --- In progress Powers & Abilities Physical Abilities Sekireigan (鶺鴒目, lit. "Eye of the Wagtail"): The sekirei. A small and clumsy bird, yet is was the messenger of the God of Creation Kamui. His divine being instructed the sekirei to create from the unbridled chaos of the seas, the lands of which we dwell. It would flap its wings to part the surging waters, and step on the churning earth that arose from abysmal depths to flatten it. Though small and frail, the sekirei performed this task and thus we are blessed with the plethora of lands across the sea. The sekirei is symbolic, representative of one who is weak but whose heart and hard work shine through. To witness the execution of a technique is to peer into the heart and soul of its wielder. The dedication to their craft, the effort poured into training and honing its movements all culminating in the emergent technique itself. Redgrave's superhuman observational skills and analytical ability grant him the means to gaze into the history of another's skill set. With it he can decipher, and comprehend the very art they seek to embody. Essentially, once he has sufficiently observed an opponents fighting style, Redgrave is able to emulate it, and even perform its most powerful and hidden techniques if he has not seen them. However given his nature, Redgrave rarely employs this insight offensively. Rather he prefers to engage his opponents and aid them in bringing out their potential and instructing them mid-battle. It is not uncommon for Redgrave to turn a deadly battle into an instructional lesson for those involved. Swordsmanship In this cutthroat world, the worth of any living thing can be determined only by one arbiter --- that thing's ability to exist, to go on existing, and to remake existence to suit its survival. Zelgadis is as much a student of this philosophy as he is its master. In an age where piracy had reached its zenith and has since only steadily reached even greater heights, the path of the sword was inevitable. In his youth he pitted his sword against some of the most bloodthirsty, cunning and skilled swordsman of his era. From battle to war, through struggle towards conquest, Zelgadis became a swordsman worthy of worldly recognition, as together with his blade Nástrǫnd (Corpse Shore) began to establish legendary status and prestige. The greatest of his strengths as a swordsman lay in what Zelgadis refers to as, The Sekireigan; a superhuman analytical skill developed over a lifetime of battle. Born from his natural curiosity and propensity to inquiry about the history and mind behind the warriors he felled, he developed the ability to see their sword skills as they would. This enabled him to perceive a technique and grasp its inner workings through analysis of the swordsman wielding it. By observing his opponents movements and their attacks, he gradually begins to understand the very heart of their fighting style. Its deepest secrets revealed before him. Even if he has not yet born witness, his grasp of their style allows him to reproduce its most advanced techniques. Yet rather than replicate the techniques he has seen, he prefers to deconstruct them even further and instead incorporate the philosophy behind them into his overall swordsmanship, thereby evolving his techniques in a way others who would squander this skill could not. For he approaches swordsmanship as one would any tool; techniques tailored and created to deal with specific and often general threats, for no one technique should be a hammer and every obstacle a nail. This mindset is what has made him so formidable, for his swordsmanship is capable of evolving even in the midst of battle. He adapts himself according to his adversary and his techniques reflect the opponent he faces. Almost as if, he has prepared an arsenal specifically to strike at their weaknesses and capitalize on his strengths. Zelgadis delineates his swordsmanship into three distinct styles of combat, each a reflection of the adversary he is to face. When one stands against the unstoppable savage onslaught of nature's most fearsome beasts, he wields the Jūkai Kōsen (獣界交戦, "Beast Realm War Force"). An aggressive, agile sword style that maximizes his bodily movements to deliver the most devastating strikes against the behemoths that populate the world. When he faces against his fellow man, and steel meets steel he unleashes Maken: Kijin Toki (禅権:鬼神鯨波, Demonic Authority: Raging Waves of the Ogre God); highly precise, technical swordsmanship reminiscent of the infamous iaijutsu and other such styles found in Wano. Lastly for the greatest most powerful adversary he has ever faced in his life, mother nature herself, he wields the dreaded Shinken Namikaze Satsujin Hō (神権波風法, lit. "Divine Authority Wind and Waves Murderous Law") sword skills so powerful as to pit one natural disaster as a counter towards another. 'Sword of the Beast Realm' Jūkai Kōsen (獣界交戦, "Beast Realm War Force") Look towards nature's mightiest predators if you wish to know how a true monster kills. Harness the cold savagery and wild instinct of the beast. Embody it. But don't let it consume you. Embrace the fury, let the swelling madness honed over countless battles guide you. When your mind becomes the fang, and your sword becomes the claw, only then will you know the instinct of the beast. To battle the monsters of the world, Zelgadis became one himself. He fights with the wild ferocity of a predator. Smashing, crushing and tearing apart till nothing is left. Technique has no place here. Only strength. When he moves it is with preternatural grace. He leaves no trace, not a ripple in water, it is the alacrity of a snake. As he strikes, brute strength pure and simple is his means. Overwhelming force crashing against the beast, a barrage of whirring steel like a gnashing maw. He leaps and leaps around his prey, turning, spinning, gathering his power as one draws breath. The strike is transformed into a thing of raw power. His sword is cunning, snapping at weak points until it finds crimson purchase. The beast falls. The madness remains. *'Ōgeikotsu Heki' (大鯨骨劈, Great Whale Bone Piercer): A sword thrust that instantaneously severs the air from the tip of the blade onward, creating a thin beam of illuminating, scintillating light that shoots forward piercing anything in its path. The light perceived by this technique is the immense heat burning up matter. *'Ōzora Garyuu' (大空毒牙, Great Sky Dragon Fang): A sword swing that shatters the air with such devastating force that it creates a blast wave. A powerful shockwave emanates from the wake of the attack blowing anything in its arc away. Instantly thereafter a powerful burst of negative pressure sucks everything back in. *'Hyaku Hachi Shishi' (百八獅子, One-Hundred and Eight Lion's): Beastly instinct subsumes you. Its raging howl thunders in your blood, and sings in rhythm with your heart. Muscles bulge and swell, strength surging like a river. Strike with the force of a hundred blows, cutting, biting and clawing at your prey. The sword is your fang is it not? Its steel synonymous with your very bone, you are connected through a bridge of life and death. Each clash a crossing point, every ounce of blood lost a sacrifice to press your advantage. Dance to the song of death, dance as your prey's failing strength excites the beast within you. 'Sword of the Demon Realm' Maken: Kijin Toki (禅権:鬼神鯨波, Demonic Authority: Raging Waves of the Ogre God): Within you is a fierce demon. Its voracious appetite for death is insatiable. War is its calling, battle its feast, slaughter its nature. Meditate on this. Clear your mind. Empty yourself of petty, frivolous thoughts. Peel away your weakness and expose the terrible truth within. Gaze into the fury. Can you hear its howl? Do you feel the pulse of blood pounding within you as it beats against its cage? Release it. Consecrate yourself through carnage. Wield your anger like flickering steel. Guide your hatred, shape it into a sword like death. There is a time for hatred, and knowing when to use it and why will be your greatest struggle. Once you master this, you will become your demon. You will become a god among demons. For the greatest foe you shall ever face is the human before you. Do you see him now? To defeat him, you must be transcend him. His is a cunning mind, one whose skills have been sharpened by war, and polished through grueling training. He carries steel in his hands, and he shall endeavor to defeat you through whatever means possible to him. Know him. As you would know yourself. Deduce his mind, peer at the biography that is his body. Look upon his form, see how life has sculpted him. His training is known to you. Where he lacks power, where he stumbles in speed, his hand wields mighty techniques. Watch his movements. Analyze their meaning. The answer is simple isn't it? See how he coils? You know how he will move and when he will strike. His training betrays him. His art is an open book and you its reader. When he is cautious, draw him in near. When he wades forward, put him back on his step. The stances he has ingrained; their steps and strides, their strikes and counters are open to you. Defeat them. Guide him towards his own inviolable destiny - death. Unsheathe your blade. Release the demon inside you. * Ikki Majin: Muken Naraku '(一揆魔神:無間奈落, lit. "''Demonic War Force: Hell's Eighth Realm"): The manifestation of the inner demon, awoken and freed at last. Meditate on this. The spirit is almighty, its fury all consuming and if you are weak then it will break you. Strengthen your mind, harden your resolve and allow the convictions by which you live guide you. Connect this mind to the body which has been forged as the sword and you will achieve unification, as the third pillar, which is the soul manifests from your being. Mantle its power, channel its great might and observe its form, the geometry of your demon. When you master the cut of the sword, and the way it reshapes the world around you, only then can you wield this technique. It is the fusion of the flying slash attack, used by skilled swordsman coupled with the ability to manifest their spirit as a tangible force. '''Sword of the God Realm Shinken Namikaze Satsujin Hō (神権波風法, lit. "Divine Authority Wind and Waves Murderous Law"): Churning seas seek to drown you. Torrential winds smash against your defenses, heedless of your cries. The cacophony of thundering lightning briefly illuminates the hellish storm surrounding you. How will you contend against these forces? Will you buckle beneath the towering tsunami? Bend before the relentless hurricane? Or will you draw steel and cut a path through heaven itself towards victory? You yourself are a conduit. Within you lies colors of power not yet tapped. Draw from them. Are you blinded by the sheer brilliance of those scintillating lights? You should be, but you have no need for eyes, they are a crutch. Feel the presence of nature's might around you. Can you sense its weakness? The architecture of its god-power is not without flaw. Shape your ambition until it resembles the keen edge of a sword. Now cut apart the maelstrom, drive your blade through its heart, kill it as you would any man or beast. The raging storm stutters, the winds screech in agony and the crashing waves still. Open your eyes, can you see it? How the world shrinks back in terror? You are a force of unto itself. You are the storm. *'God-Storm Smasher' (ゴッド-ストーム スマッシャ, Goddo-Sutoumu Sumassha): *'Ocean Drinker' (オーシャン ドリンカー, Oushan Dorinkaa): *'World Eater' (ワールド イータ, Waarudo Iita): Devil Fruit The Kōgu Kōgu no Mi is a -type Devil Fruit. Tool Human. Redgrave's Sword Náströnd: The Dreaded Shore of Devoured Corpses (恐岸 の噛む亡骸, Kyōgan no Kamu Nakigara): Relationships Category:Male Characters Category:Pirates Category:Swordsmen Category:Cartographers Category:Navigators